India Adoption Overview

America World is a Hague-accredited India adoption agency and currently has children in India in need of forever families. America World is highly respected among Indian adoption agencies. Our India adoption team is ready to walk your family through the entire process as you begin your journey of adopting from India.

Waiting Children Available for Adoption:

There are children in India with minor to moderate medical needs of any age or healthy children or sibling sets over the age of six. Per the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), India’s adoption authority, healthy children under the age of six are not available for adoption to foreign families. While OCI and NRI clients are eligible to adopt a healthy young child, wait-time is unknown and potentially long. America World's India adoption program continues to grow and we would be honored to assist your family.

These are general guidelines, please contact our India staff to learn more at India@awaa.org.

The overall timeframe to complete an adoption from India is generally 18-24 months and decreasing. While there are many older children available for adoption, generally at least half of the families adopting from India are moving forward with a child under the age of 2 years.

About India Adoption

America World has been licensed to work in India since 2006. Over the years, America World Adoption staff members have had the privilege of meeting CARA adoption officials, US Embassy staff members and representatives from over 30 orphanages across India. America World has the ability to work with registered RIPA’s and SAA's that are licensed to complete an international adoption. America World currently employs full and part-time staff in India to facilitate the adoption process and provide guide services to families while they are traveling in India.

The children available for adoption from India have ranged in age from infants to teenagers with medical needs such as HIV, blood conditions, heart conditions, vision impairment, hearing impairment, cleft lip and palate, cerebral palsy, developmental delays and other correctable medical conditions. Families who are of Indian heritage and have either OCI or NRI status may request to adopt healthy children. However, all foreign families must be open to adopting a child with a medical need, a sibling set or a healthy older child.

Children from India may be orphaned due to poverty, disease, family or personal issues. India follows the best practices and standards according to the Hague international adoption guidelines to try to reunite the child with their biological family if at all possible, and when not possible to seek a domestic and then international adoptive family.

America World staff has over 20 years of assisting families adopting from India and working with both orphanages and CARA, the Central Adoption Resource Authority. Our highly experienced and dedicated staff welcomes the opportunity to partner with you for your adoption from India.

India Adoption Process

India’s international adoption process is done in accordance with Hague Convention guidelines on intercountry adoption of children.

After being accepted into the India Program, families are assigned a Family Coordinator, who is their main point of contact for the duration of the adoption process. With the help of the Family Coordinator, prospective adoptive parents begin collecting documents for the “dossier,” which is a compilation of paperwork that will be sent to India to show the parents are qualified to adopt. During the home study process, which is part of compiling the dossier, the social worker visits the family’s home and the family completes training and preparations to show they are prepared to parent an adopted child. Families will discuss their child request and if they are open to medical needs or adopting older children. America World has many recommended resources and training to assist families with this process.

After completion of home study and dossier, a family is able to receive a referral as soon once their home study is uploaded on CARINGS and reviewed and approved by CARA. The CARINGS database is an internal website portal where America World can upload the parent’s home study and eventually the parents will be matched to a specific child. Families of Indian heritage also have the opportunity to be matched by CARA directly. A family is able to receive a referral as soon as their home study is uploaded on CARINGS and reviewed and approved by CARA. The wait time to review a referral will depend on the family’s child requests and the children who are available for adoption.

After a family receives a referral, they review it with medical professionals, international specialists, and their social worker. If a family accepts the referral, America World will help the complete the necessary paperwork. America World Adoption sends the completed dossier and referral paperwork directly to the orphanage for further processing. Families will then wait 8-18 months as a general timeframe for approval to occur within India, each family’s process and time frame vary. America World will assist the family in understanding these approvals and paperwork processes.

After the approvals have occurred and the child has received their Indian passport, the family travels to the orphanage and will be accompanied by an America World guide. The family travels to Delhi to complete the child’s medical exam and visa paperwork. The total time in India can range from 10-14 days. America World’s staff will coordinate travel logistics, including air and ground transportation, lodging, and some meals. Upon returning home, the America World's post-adoption department will assist the family with adjusting to life with their new child and understanding the re-adoption and post-adoption report requirements. The post-adoption report requirements will vary for each family as the judge will decree in the court order how many reports they want to see, and the orphanage director also has the right to request a certain amount of post-adoption reports.

The post-adoption department will support a family for years after the adoption is completed and is always available to help families with resources, support, and training.